These Pagans often identify as warriors, blending ancient or earth-centered spirituality with the ethics and ideals of the martial arts. A leading Pagan warrior is Kerr Cuhulain, a Vancouver policeman and former Air Force officer whose books ‚The Wiccan Warrior‘ and ‚Full Contact Magick‘ celebrate the ancient – and still relevant – connection between primal spirituality and the path of the warrior.“ McColman weist darauf hin, dass die alten Göttinnen und Götter sehr wohl kämpferisch waren, wenn es darauf ankam:

„Warrior spirituality recognizes that it is a limitation to see the Goddess as some sort of romantic peacenik. Try convincing mythical Goddesses like the Hindu Kali Ma, the Irish Morrigu, or the Greek Athena that Pagan spirituality is all about peace and love. Each of these figures are ferocious, take-no-prisoner warrior queens, far more concerned with security and self-defense than with playing nice in the multi-cultural sandbox. And it’s not just the Pagan Goddesses who are tough. Gods and heroes from ancient myth often embody the heroic ideals of bravery, valour, strength and skill, all woven into a fierce determination to defend their people and protect the land. Indeed, it is the sheer idealism of such virtues that drive the warrior ethic in modern Paganism.“

Der Autor zitiert Hawk, die in der US-Armee dient und den Pfad der Kriegerin als für sie persönlich zentral beschreibt. Sie meint, dass wir in sehr gefährlichen Zeiten leben: „Pagan warriors are working very hard to keep our people safe and our borders protected. Many times, in fact, most of the time, not only is it a thankless duty, but it’s also frowned upon by many in our own magickal community.“ Auch Patti Wiginton befasst sich mit Pagan-Themen und greift immer wieder Anregungen ihrer LeserInnen bei About.com auf. so beginnt sie einen Text über Warrior Pagans mit einem Zitat: „I attended a Pagan festival not too long ago, and I was shocked by how many people there consider themselves ‚warriors.‘

I even met a bunch of men (and a woman) who are in the military – one of them had just come back from the Middle East, and another was getting ready to go over there. I was really uncomfortable around this group – how can any self-respecting Pagan have the ‚warrior mentality‘ when we’re all supposed to be peace-loving people who do no harm to others?“ Wiginton meint, „we’re all supposed to be“, also „wir sollten alle sein“ ist ein Widerspruch zu dem, was den paganen Weg für so viele Menschen attraktiv macht, nämlich dass es kein „es soll so (und nicht anders) sein“ gibt. Pagan bedeutet, seinen eigenen spirituellen Weg zu gehen.

Zwar folgen viele dabei einer Regel, niemandem zu schaden, besonders Wicca und Neopagane oder unterstützen einen friedlichen Lebensstil. Viele orientieren sich an der Wiccan Rede. Aber es gibt so viele verschiedene Pfade wie es Pagane gibt (zum Weg des Kriegers und der Kriegerin siehe auch Teil 2). Wigtinton sagt: „However – and this is a big however – there are plenty of Pagans out there whose belief system is based upon the warrior soul, a code of honor. These are the people who understand that while peace is nice, it may not always be a reality. They are the ones who stand up and fight, even when what they’re fighting for may be unpopular. Often, we find them in career fields which by their very nature put them in danger – military personnel, police officers, firefighters, etc.“

Außerdem ist die Vorstellung eines friedlichen und liebevollen Paganismus relativ modern: „The ancient societies upon which many modern Pagans base their core beliefs were rarely peaceful ones – a culture that refused to fight was doomed to extinction right from the beginning. Instead, if you look at the historical evidence, early Pagan cultures like the Romans, the Celts, the Nordic societies – all of which are strongly represented in modern Paganism — were all, to some degree, militaristic societies. Willingness to fight was not precluded by one’s religious sensibilities.“ Wiginton ist auch etwas enttäuscht, dass sich Menschen unwohl fühlen, wenn jemand in der Nähe ist, der den Streitkräften angehört:

„No matter what your feelings about war may be, these are men and women who risk their lives half a world away – often leaving their families behind for months or years at a time – because they believe in what they are fighting for. Warriors are the ones who fight on behalf of those who can’t fight for themselves, and they do it for very little pay and without any demand for thanks. All of them have made a sacrifice, and they are worthy of, at the very least, our respect.“ Das „Opfer“ ist durchaus wörtlich zu nehmen, denn viele Pagane und Wicca sind in gefährlichen Einsätzen und einige kommen dabei auch ums Leben.

Ihre Angehörigen müssen aber darum kämpfen, dass sie auch unter dem Zeichen ihrer Überzeugung beerdigt werden, wie der Guardian berichtete: „The US army allows them to fight and die for their country – but not to display the symbol of their faith on the headstones marking where they lie. That state of affairs could be about to change, however. Two widows of Wiccan combat veterans are taking the government to court demanding that the military add the pentacle to its list of 38 emblems authorised for use on gravestones.

The US department of veterans affairs (VA) recognises imagery associated with Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Judaism, as well as smaller religions such as Sufism Reoriented, Eckankar and the Japanese faith Seicho-No-Ie. The Wiccan widows argue that the omission of their symbol is unconstitutional. The pentacle is a five-pointed star surrounded by a circle. Wiccans worship the Earth and believe they must give to the community. Some consider themselves ‚white‘, or good, witches; they may also define themselves as pagans or neo-pagans.“ Erst im Mai 2007 entschied die Veteran’s Association, dass sie das Pentagramm auf den Grabsteinen gefallener Pagans und Wicca gestattet. Dies wurde von Roberta Stuart durchgekämpft, der Witwe von Sergeant Patrick Stewart, der 2006 in Afghanistan getötet wurde.